A full All Blacks tour of South Africa is set to return in 2026, according to a report in South Africa.
Dubbed the 'Greatest Rugby Rivalry', the All Blacks will once again tour South Africa in an eight match, three Test tour, that will coincide with the 30th anniversary since they last toured in 1996.
According to a report in South Africa's Daily Maverick the deal between New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and South Africa Rugby Union (SARU) has all but been signed with the details "agreed in principle" and "final contacts are being drafted".
The series will feature three Test matches, as well as four matches against United Rugby Championship (URC) teams, a fixture against a South Africa 'A' side, and a fourth Test to be played outside of South Africa -- reportedly in London or North America -- that will not form part of the official series.
A reciprocal tour has also been agreed upon with South Africa set to tour New Zealand in 2030, with a similar eight-match schedule.
"I just spent two days with the New Zealand leadership in what we are calling the Greatest Rugby Rivalry," SARU chief executive Rian Oberholzer told The Daily Maverick on the eve of the Springboks 31-27 win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
"We have signed a memorandum of understanding, and we are in the planning phases now. We have a draft schedule that must still be agreed.
"We met with the commercial brokers on setting the commercial property, the sponsorship matrix and we will go to market in due course. We believe we have to be in the broadcast market soon.
"It is a collaboration of two unions that have agreed to work together off the field. We believe we have to closer - and we have never been close.
"Let's fight on the field and let's work off the field to the betterment of both the unions. We have such a challenge in rugby with funding, so we have to create our own opportunities, and that is what we are busy with at the moment."
It's a massive blow for Rugby Australia and Argentina Rugby Union with the tour likely to take a massive hit on the Rugby Championship in 2026 and 2030.
"The Rugby Championship will still happen, but it will probably be a single round, which we are pushing for," Oberholzer said.
"If it is not going to happen, we as SARU did say to Argentina and Australia that we will play one-off Test matches against them. That is a discussion that we need finally in the second week of September."
The tour will require sign off from World Rugby.